my reduced (not reformed—that is a foreign word, and very foreign from my purpose) brethren in arms. The Englishman appeared resigned, though not quite satisfied. The Irishman looked doubtful and abroad; he was boxing the compass at every moment, hoping that a favourable breeze might spring up and bring a prize in some shape, and, above all, he was erecting his crest, throwing forward his broad chest, setting off his wellproportioned shoulders, and viewing his sinewy legs, as much as to say, "See my proportions! what rich maid, frail wife, or easy widow, will fancy me?" The Scotchman seemed to bend to circumstances, to stoop to his fate, to throw off the soldier, and to assume the citizen and civilian: he looked as if a gude story, an act of politeness, a happy hit, or some unforeseen fortune, might ameliorate his lot. He felt that, in war, and in his account with mankind, he stood square and unimpeached; and he waited for the turn of fortune's wheel in his favour; poor, but proud; humble, but above those degrading shifts of existence by which many bright and brave men from other countries are ruined. Whilst all this ran in my head, and whilst I was contemplating the round blue eye, fair hair, independent head of paid-off John Bull,-the fine aquiline nose, sharp forehead, fiery eye, projecting lip, dark hair, changeful and jealous expression, and somewhat mutinous countenance of half-pay brother Pat-and the cold, white, high-cheek-boned, gray-eyed, yet courteous, seemly face of cautious Donald or Sandy, placed on the reduced establishment,-a scene interesting to my feelings casually took place. I beheld a military man (evidently such, though in coloured clothes) sitting on a bench-his back against one arm of it, and his feet extended on the seat. In front of this tall, thin, recumbent figure, was a fine-looking Scottish soldier. Such I knew him to be by his physiognomy and by his accent. He wore his uniform, but had a round hat on his head, and a thick stick under his arm. These are invariable marks of discharge, and of bending the weary way homewards. The officer pulled out a thin pocket-book, and, taking out a two-pound note from it, he worked it about in his hands as if he fain would have increased its weight, or as if its lightness vexed him. He looked thrice at it, as on a departing friend, then rumpled it, and at last put it into the soldier's hand, and, heaving a sigh, said "Charlie, I wish ye weel; tak care o' yoursel; there's what I owe ye; and I wish, man, that it were mair." The soldier held back. His half-extended hand dropped as it tried to take the note. He hung his head, played with his fingers as if unwilling to receive it, and at length he took it gently, handled it as if it were not his, eyed it, frowned upon it, and at last slowly put it in his pocket. Many thanks to ye, sir," cried he, and still remained immoveable. "Ye're ower gude," answered he, after a long pause. "Thanks to you," replied the officer, with a faltering voice. "Heaven bless ye, "faintly articulated the soldier. He still stood, put his hand in his pocket, as if to return the money, sighed, shook his head-"Fare ye weel, Charlie," was hastily pronounced again. Charlie was motionless. Gang awa, mun, now," cried the officer. Charlie put his hand to his hat as if it had been a cap, stood in a fine soldierly attitude, faced, wept, and slowly paced off."Charlie," cried the officer. He returned. "Gude luck to ye." He extended his hand to him. The man seized it eagerly, and went proudly, tearfully, and regretfully away. I now understood what had passed: 'twas an officer bidding his last farewell to a faithful soldier. During the " pomp and circumstance of war," discipline forbade familiarity; but at a last parting, nature was commanding officer, and pride obeyed. Esteem drew the two brethren in arms nearer together; and sympathy would not permit the superior to part with his humble deserving comrade, without this last token of wellearned affection. Curiosity induced me to follow the soldier, and to fall into conversation with him. "You seem affected at parting with your officer," said I to the private. "'Tis the blackest day o' my life," replied he. "A' the dangers, and hunger, and cauld, and hard fighting, was naething to this; he was a right gude officer, as kind a maister as ever lived, and as brave a man as ever marched. Seven years we shared the same fate thegither, slept sometimes in the same bed, that is, on our mother earth, and heeven for a' our curtain; and now to think that his honour canna afford to keep a man (here he passed his hand over his eyes), and that we maun part! Plague on the peace! I wish Boney were let loose again! I believe it was his last note that he gae me; would I had ne'er seen it! I wad sarve him for naething, by day and by night, gin he wad keep me. But then he's ower prood for that; and I darna affront him." The man's fidelity so pleased me, that I offered him a shilling to drink: I was ashamed of it afterwards, although my motive was good at the time; for Charlie was so full of love for his master, and of soldierly pride, that there was no room in his heart for any other feeling, no place in his mind for the intrusion even of interest. "Thanks to you, sir," said he; "I dinna want; but I wish my maister were better off; there's an unco difference atween him and me." Here he shed tears abundantly; and as I could not relieve him in any way, I wished him well, and left him. I returned down the Mall again: the Scottish officer was there, attempting to whistle, and to beat time on his boot; but there was no mirth in his tune. He struck his boot not sportively, but out of temper, and sorrow was fully depicted in every line of his features. Literary Gazette. A DANDY IN THE HIGHLANDS. I CANNOT, perhaps, better exemplify the truth of the old proverb, that what is a pillow of thorns to one is a bed of roses to another, than by copying literally a letter sent me by a young relation, a very great Exquisite, from the Highlands, where I had myself received so much pleasure, where the charms of nature exhausted my eyes, and the warmest hospitality still has a claim upon my heart,-where I pored over the lakebeauties with inexpressible delight, and where I met with so much unaffected and genuine kindness, that the land of red heather will ever be dear to me, and the children of the mountains will always have an additional title to my sympathy and regard. But I must come to my Exquisite's letter: DEAR UNCLE,-You advised me to make a tour to the Lakes, and be hanged to them. I wish I had never gone there. I had further the folly (in imitation of your noble example) to visit the Hebrides, where I am half starved, and where I have met with such a catalogue of miseries as scarcely ever befell a human being. I am embargoed by the rain, am poisoned with vile cookery, disgusted with coarse habits, can't get so much as a little chicken-hazard to amuse me, nor a frail milliner to kill time with,-roads where no curricle nor tilbury can pass, and my horses are lame as the devil. How I miss Long's and the Clarendon, the Countess in the Rules, and the little figurante! There is not such a thing as an intrigue in these desolate regions. Ice is unknown but on the top of their cursed mountains! Not a pine-apple for love or money! No theatre! No waltzing! The girls don't understand soft nonsense! And no one comprehends how to make Regent punch. The names of the places strangle you to pronounce them! The female wretches of servants go bare-legged! Half the sans culotte men don't speak English; and those who do are unintelligible! Besides, all my clothes are torn, spoiled, and played the deuce with; and I am laughed at wherever I go. These fellows are three centuries behind us in the St. James's and Bond-street cut; and don't know what a dandy is! My servant is made drunk from morning till night, and I am dying of ennui. A pretty name of a place I am going to to-morrow!-Acha-de-Shenoch, and Ach-na-craig! Breakneck-place would be better. But to proceed with my misfortunes. It rained so on the road, in my tilbury from Glasgow to Loch Lomond, that I could not see it; and I got so drunk at Mr. Mac-'s house, that I saw double at the other lakes, and had such a headach, that objects, whether by land or water, swam equally before my eyes. Besides, I was so much out of humour with all the world, that I swore that every thing was frightful. I embarked in a beastly cock-boat from Oban, and was almost sunk by the way. In addition to losing my puzzle-ring betwixt the landing place and your friend's house, I lamed one of my horses in their perilous and almost inaccessible tracks, which they call roads, and was laughed at by a bare-bottomed scoundrel, and called a Molly and a Doll to boot. I lost my hat with the high wind, and have been forced to wear my travelling cap ever since. I dare say that my hat will be picked up and preserved as a curiosity; for there is not another made by Artis in the whole place. I was so wet on arriving, that I called for either Curaçoa, Maraspuina, or Noyeau. Not a drop to be had! But my host almost choked me with a confounded liquid which he called hottentosh (fairntosh) and which is a compound of fire and smoke-fire as to its terrible heat and strength, and smoke as to its offensive smell. I had scarcely recovered from the agonies of this drug, when dinner was announced. Dinner at four o'clock!!! how barbarous ! just about a man of fashion's breakfast time! Then we had no delicious soup, no iced wines, no made dishes, nothing but the coarsest and most vulgar fare. I sat behind a huge mountain of beef, which made me imperceptible to the other side of the table! There was a ham too, from which fids were cut as thick as a schoolboy's bread and butter, instead of being as thin as a wafer! Two pair of fowls! Monstrous! I hoped to have fared better with what |